Yesterday. Barncat Green out American Barley wine-a big beer, very green, nice heat. Probably my least favourite Barncat beer I've had. Decent, but not my thing. Cascade apricot-damn is it ever tart. Really complex and unique, but for me, didn't enjoy it nearly enough to justify buying again at this $. I'm glad i tried it, but it's a one and done for me. It took me almost 2 hours to get through the bottle, which is incredibly unusual for me. Towards the end it's becoming a bit of a chore. Maybe I should have tried to re-cork it and split over a couple days, but nobody likes a quitter.

Timmermans Oude Gueuze — Lovely lambic, pours rather hazy with a mix of lemon, green apple, apricot, barnyard funk. Effervescent and dry. Not as puckering as Lindemans CR and Oud Beersel OG. This one strikes me as less intense, especially on the flavour. More balanced. Drinks quicker with less cheese required.

ry_kinney wrote:Tried Straffe Hendrik (Brugs) Quad the other night and absolutely loved it. It might be an unpopular opinion but I would place it above St Bernardus and Rochefort 10 (some bottles I've found to be better than others).

Also had The Exchange Golden Ale - bottle from LC the last few months. Nice very drinkable stuff, kind of mild with a detectable contribution of the Chard barrel, big $13.50 price. ** follow up note, the body is improved by some sediment (not completely clear pour.) Now getting some vanilla as well.Halcyon Barrel House Infinity Mirror is still pretty amazing for ten bucks, I would say.

ry_kinney wrote:Tried Straffe Hendrik (Brugs) Quad the other night and absolutely loved it. It might be an unpopular opinion but I would place it above St Bernardus and Rochefort 10 (some bottles I've found to be better than others).

ry_kinney wrote:Tried Straffe Hendrik (Brugs) Quad the other night and absolutely loved it. It might be an unpopular opinion but I would place it above St Bernardus and Rochefort 10 (some bottles I've found to be better than others).

I'd agree with sentiments about the quality of this one. I'd place it above Rochefort 10, but below Abt 12 and Westvletern. Great value for the price.

Haven't had Straffe Hendrik since a trip to Belgium in 2012. At the time, I didn't have it in my list of favourite quads from the trip, but was obviously spoiled by the selection. I do look forward to revisiting and will need to grab an extra bottle or two if I like it as much as everyone else.

Kasteel Cuvée de Chateau is Kasteel Donker that has been aged for ten years in the castle cellar of the brewery for a beautiful, almost Shiraz wine-like result. I found the difference stunning especially compared to the inherently malty-rich regular Donker. A good one, complex. (WED)

NEXT DAY - Fresh as Helles from Sam Adams. Six pack from LCBO. Now, SA doesn't make incredibly amazing beers all the time, but they do have a way of making inoffensive beers reasonably tasty. This one is a balance of dryness and fruity sweetness showing white grape and some baked apple flavours. Easy-going round palate with a note of lemony hop on the finish. A crushable basic beer, it sure isn't Founders.

At Death and Taxes:Collingwood White Bay IPA (cask) - good executionCollective Arts Tropical Milkshake IPA - very good, but perhaps not as good as the milkshake IPAs from Bellwoods.

At Big Rock:A DIPA that tasted like a creamsicle. The hop flavour was very unique, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Perhaps, it wasn't as hoppy as most DIPAs, but was hoppier than a regular IPA.An ESB that was also good.

Also recently:Ace Hill Pilsener - Good German style pilsener. I have seen some good recommendations for other Ontario pilseners/lagers, but I usually find them boring. This is the first one with good hop flavour I have tried since I enjoyed Brick's Hennigner back in the 90s.

Currently drinking Life In the Clouds, from Collective Arts. It's excellent, as I've come to expect from anything IPA related done by this brewery. The real find today, however, is the previously drank Mash Up the Jam dry hopped sour from them, which is exceptional. These people continue to up their game.